Drunk – How we sipped, danced, and stumbled our way to civilization by Edward Slingerland is of interest because of one simple thesis, we use alcohol as an intoxicant as a way to recover fun in our lives or as the author states in a much more sociological way, alcohol gives us the 3 C’s – communal, culture and creative.
Otherwise genetics or evolution would have made alcohol as needed as an appendix is now.
The other fun bit of knowledge is based on “dosing”. Other drugs or highs achieved from say, running, achieve sone of the same ends as alcohol but but either are way more addictive, drugs or are too unwieldy in time like running. Alcohol is quicker, more effective and though it is addictive, no getting around that, it is not as rapidly destructive as harder drugs.
Past that, this book tends to cover the same ground over much. Especially when dispelling other ideas regarding why alcohol is still ingrained in humans. I am much better writing in summary than in minute detail so when a writer tells me the same thing over and over, I quickly suss it out.
But the writing style of Slingerland’s is jovial and not bogged down in terminology so the read is still fun.